Do you remember Akhila aka Hadiya from Kerala? Akhila’s case was one of the most high-profile conversion cases. High profile, not because she came from a known family, but because this involved the coming together of various forces involved in conversion such as the PFI and the SDPI. They pumped in massive amounts of money, and eventually won the case.
Where is she now?
Akhila became attracted to Islam while studying Homeopathy at a college in Salem, TN in 2010. She befriended two sisters, Jaseela and Faseena, and soon began listening to Islamic sermons on her phone. Later, she visited her friends at their home in Malappuram, Kerala where she also had a conversation with Jaseela’s father about Islam.
In January 2016, with the assistance of Aboobacker, Jaseela’s father, she filed an affidavit to convert. She then sought guidance from the controversial Islamic learning center Sathya Sarani to deepen her knowledge about her new religion. Additionally, she got in touch with another controversial figure, Zainaba, who was also the president of the National Women’s Front, the female wing of PFI, along with other individuals.
They introduced her to Shefin Jahan, a PFI worker. In the meantime, Akhila’s father, Ashokan, filed a case against Aboobacker, who was arrested but released shortly afterwards. Ashokan also became wary of her plans to marry Shefin, fearing that she would be taken to Syria. However, disregarding his concerns, Akhila, who adopted the name Hadiya, and Shefin got married with the support of Zainaba.
To summarize, the Kerala High Court annulled the marriage based on a petition filed by Ashokan. However, this verdict was overturned by the Supreme Court in March 2018, which allowed her to live with her husband. It is estimated that the PFI pumped in around INR 1 Crore as legal fees to fight the case with the help of lawyers such as Kapil Sibal. The “secular” Indian media celebrated the verdict.
Where is Hadiya now?
In a recent interview with the New Indian Express, as reported by OpIndia, her father, Ashokan, revealed that his daughter is currently divorced from her husband, Shefin Jahan, and that the divorce happened shortly after their marriage. She works as a homeopathic physician in Malappuram and continues to live away from her parents.
What went wrong in Akhila’s case?
Akhila grew up in a Communist family. Her father Ashokan was a Communist worker and an atheist. It was therefore easy to influence her and get her converted. Ashokan ended his association with the Communist party in 2018 and joined the BJP, after his bitter experience with them. He even went to the extent of saying that the Communists did nothing for the family in the case and instead worked against them.
What next?
According to the same report in Opindia, Ashokan intends to approach the NIA to investigate the activities of Zainaba, who claims to have converted over 5000 women. Ashokan also mentioned that he plans to donate his property to a social organization unless his daughter leaves Islam and returns home. Additionally, Ashokan expressed that movies like “Kerala Story” are crucial and will contribute to creating awareness among girls.
Plea to Parents
Finally, a request to all parents out there: please impart knowledge of Sanatana Dharma to your children from a young age. Help them understand more about the religion and culture they have been born into. This responsibility lies with you. By doing so, instances of brainwashing and conversion can be put to an end once and for all. Our society does not need more cases like Akhila’s.
(This article has been compiled from the tweet thread posted by @Bharatiyan108 on May 11, 2023, with minor edits to improve readability and conform to HinduPost style guide)
